No, thankfully by sound of it. But I dont handle crowds, noise, very well at all. But I have never had pain caused by it. A feeling of being over whelmed and wanting somewhere quieter.

I cant stand loud noise that is gargled or not underytood. Screaming or crowds? Forget it............I cant stand to have the Tv on loudly or have it on while I'm on the phone. If the radio is on and It hurts my ears or is out of tune, I go crazy. But if it is that and too loud, I loose it. I get an awful headache or stressed, upset, etc. Torture is the perfect word. I have noticed that it hasnt gotten better. It seems that I am at the point where it wont improve? Anyone else????

Yes , I have this drastically. I don't have pain , just confusion at times . I find if I'm in a crowd, the best thing to do is find 3 or 4 people to talk to, and the noise of the crowd seems to settle into the background.

My biggest problem is when there are two conflicting sounds going on. My husband will have the radio on in the next room ( not loud to him, but too loud for me..) . I will attempt to watch TV or listen to a movie in another room, but my brain gravitates to the music. We're getting to a point where we schedule when there will "his " noise playing so I will be prepared and can go somewhere else .

At Thanksgiving ( an intimate group of 32 ) , I spoke to a few people at a time. I have faceblindness, so I didn't recognize a soul other than my daughter and her husband. However, when dinner was over and the crowd gathered, it was hard for me to follow conversations. My son in law has a booming voice, so even if I'm talking to one person, when Matt talks, I get confused as to who is saying what. ( He's loud to the point that even when it's just my daughter,, Matt and my husband , I am so overwhelmed by Matt that I can't talk ) .

So yes, I have hyper acusis and know what you're talking about, Melanie. It doesn't hurt me physically, but is frustrating when it keeps me from doing what I want to do. -H

Yes, Melanie, I have hyperacusis. I suffered severe damage to my right inner ear.

The pain is horrendous and I used to fall down if there was any loud noise.

The good news is that there is treatment for this. I am finishing up on about 2 years of treatment and it has gotten so much better! It almost feels like a miracle to be able to go out in public again and not fall over due to the noise.

I can give you my Dr's name here in Portland - perhaps she knows someone where you live who can fit you with the ear devices that I got that are the treatment for this. If not, I think she does a lot of work seeing patients outside the area - even outside of the U.S. - because she is one of the few experts in this disorder.

She's been interviewed by the New York Times & other professional journals in this disorder. The sad thing is that so many people suffer without treatment, when there is treatment for this.

Hugs,
Elanie

Gosh, I feel for you, yes I do suffer this dreadfully, I had no idea it had a name, I always put it down to the condtion. I developed aquired nystagmus 10 years ago after a partial stroke, it was bad before with my condition but now it is unbearable. I cannot go out in crowds, and noise even the colours of say a large stores, or too much pattern or build up of items on shelves, cars in a car park, sounds odd but it is true, even clutter makes me feel over stimulated brain wise, make me feel ill and is agony to tolerate. I completely lose my ability to balance, talk, or just be normal it is like going on an assault course going out.

Thank you everyone for your reply. Elaine, may I please have the contact information for you doctor? I am so sorry you have experienced these problems! It is awful.
Greengirl, I will send you a message in a bit. It sounds like we have the same problems. I am sorry you are experiencing this too!
Holly and Anita thank you for sharing with me. You understand too. Again, I am sorry you have had to deal with this problem.

Everyone else, thank you for responding and sharing. You are all such a warm and wonderful group of individuals. I have always felt comfortable asking these type of questions here. I feel so alone and lost. My life is no longer my own, I feel constantly violated by my environment. Sound controls my life per say, it has complete control over weather my brain functions properly.

Melanie, what about noise cancelling headphones? I see people wearing them all the time when I'm flying to Florida . ( Ed. note: the plane is flying, I'm a passenger ) . My daughter suggested that I get a pair, but I"m really not in crowds ( that bother me ) all that much.

I have considered taking out stock in Mack's earplugs because I buy them so often. They are what I use when I want to read while Mark wants to play music of some kind. I also use them in bed because Mark has the nerve to breathe, and his breathing is too loud.

One thing I didn't mention is my "startle " reflex. It takes just a small noise for me to jump out of my skin. The foolish thing is that it can be a noise you're anticipating; like watching a TV show and you know there's going to be a gun shot or car crash. Even then I jump when the sound comes on. I've been known to jump when the dishwasher changes cycles. It's really ridiculous at times. Does anyone else have this?

The bose headphones work in certain environments and get me from point A to B. I also have custom earplugs but I am still ultimately able to hear with both, although without them I would be in trouble. Funny that you mentioned the "husband breathing" , I wear earplugs at night for the same reason. Sorry to hear you are dealing with audio issues too.

Yes, I definitely have the same problem as you. It sounds like the end result is the same, too. Right now, I'm recovering from a church service that I attended last Sunday. My brain was assaulted by the loud music, people talking, the pastor preaching and the echoes throughout the room. I literally ran out of the place!!!

My speech, ability to think, find words etc. is effected.

I will be out of commission for days and sometimes weeks from one overstimulating event. Its been 3 days since the church service and I'm still a mess.

I'm sorry you have the same issue. You're not alone.

Nick